What is a half pie chart?
A half pie chart (or semi-circle chart) shows the same information as a normal pie chart, but uses only the top half of the circle. The slices together cover 180°, and each slice is still sized by its share of the total. With a hole in the middle it becomes a half donut chart, the familiar shape of speedometers, gauges and parliament seat charts.
Half pies take up roughly half the height of a full pie, so they fit nicely in wide dashboard tiles, slide footers and infographics.
How to make a half pie chart
- At the top of the Data tab, choose “Half pie” or “Half donut”.
- Type your slice names and values in the table, or paste them from a spreadsheet.
- Pick colors, a theme and label style. Auto labels move outside the half circle when a slice is too small.
- For a half donut, choose what goes in the middle: the total, custom text such as “68%”, or nothing.
- Download your semi-circle chart as PNG, JPG, SVG or PDF.
How to make a gauge (progress) chart
A gauge is just a half donut with two slices:
- Name the first slice “Done” with the value 68, and the second “Remaining” with 32.
- Click the color swatch next to “Remaining” and pick a light gray.
- In the Labels tab set “Show on each slice” to “No labels”, set the center to “Custom text” and type “68%”.
- Turn off the legend, and your progress gauge is ready to download.
When to use a half pie chart
- Showing progress towards a goal or a KPI against its target.
- Election and parliament results, where seats are often drawn as a semicircle.
- Ratings and satisfaction scores shown like a speedometer.
- Wide, short spaces where a full circle would be too tall.
Tips for a clear half pie chart
- Use 2 to 5 slices. Slices are half as wide as on a full pie, so small ones get thin quickly.
- Order slices logically from left to right, such as “Disagree → Neutral → Agree”.
- Use a wide aspect ratio (16:9 or 3:2) so the semicircle fills the image.
- Need the whole circle with a total in the middle? Use the donut chart maker.
